Construction begins on $199M View II student housing project by Temple

Construction has begun on a $199 million student housing development that will bring 368 “resort-style” apartments to the edge of Temple’s campus.

The project, dubbed View II, is the second and final phase of Goldenberg Group’s master plan to redevelop a 4.6-acre site at 1101 Cecil B. Moore Avenue that was formerly the John Wanamaker High School. When View II finishes construction in summer 2019, the site will include more than 1,800 beds and 40,000 square feet of retail.

Goldenberg announced the groundbreaking Wednesday afternoon. The by-right project will total 470,000 square feet and include one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments that are fully furnished, complete with flat screen TV’s.

Like the original View, which has 832 fully-leased rentals, View II will have a long list of amenities that one has come to expect in new mixed-use developments: A coffee bar, fitness center, an outdoor terrace, conference rooms, and bike storage.

Despite pushback from the community earlier this year, the development will also include 94 below-grade parking spots, as well as electric-charging stations.

Kevin Trapper, senior vice president for Goldenberg Group, said in Wednesday’s announcement that the goal of the project is to “be a source of positive transformation in the neighborhood” while at the same time protecting the mostly residential communities near Temple from student sprawl.

View II is expected to be move-in ready by fall 2019.